Weather protected modular motor enclosure

ABSTRACT

An air-cooled weather-protected motor ( 10 ) configured for vertical-shaft applications, such as mounting above an outdoor, vertical-shafted pump (P) for pumping fluid (e.g., water, oil, etc.) through a pipeline (L), is disclosed. The illustrated motor ( 10 ) broadly includes a stator ( 12 ), a shafted rotor assembly ( 14 ) rotatably supported relative to the stator ( 12 ), and a vented protective motor enclosure ( 16 ) enclosing the stator ( 12 ) and the rotor assembly ( 14 ). The enclosure ( 16 ) includes a primary motor housing ( 18 ) and a pair of filtration boxes ( 20 ) and ( 22 ) removably coupled to either side of the housing ( 18 ) to guard air intake through the housing ( 18 ) to the stator ( 12 ) and the rotor assembly ( 14 ). The improved motor enclosure ( 16 ) provides an inventive coupling mechanism that enables the modular filtration housings ( 20,22 ) to be quickly and easily secured to the primary motor housing ( 18 ) to protect the air intake openings ( 68,70 ) from weather and other undesired debris. The housings ( 20,22 ) comply with the NEMA standards for a weather-protected Type II motor and thus enable a weather-protected Type I motor to be quickly and easily converted to a Type II motor. When assembled on the motor ( 10 ) according to a preferred embodiment, the pair of filtration housings ( 20,22 ) provide optimal and uniform cooling of the motor ( 10 ) and enable a symmetrical, balanced motor ( 10 ) that can be tested on a horizontal dynamometer with the housings ( 20,22 ) attached.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to filtration housings formotors. More specifically, the present invention concerns modularfiltration housings that hook on to the primary motor housing (i.e.,housing protecting the stator and rotor) to protect the air intakeopenings from weather and other undesired debris. Each housing includesan inventive latching mechanism that enables the housing to be quicklyand easily secured to the motor. Each housing complies with the NationalElectrical Manufacturers Association (“NEMA”) standards for aweather-protected Type II motor, therefore, the inventive housingsenable a weather-protected Type I motor to be quickly and easilyconverted to a Type II motor. When assembled on the motor according to apreferred embodiment, the pair of filtration housings provide optimaland uniform cooling to the motor and enable a symmetrical, balancedmotor that can be tested on a horizontal dynamometer with the housingsattached.

2. Discussion of Prior Art

NEMA standard 1.25.8.1 defines a weather-protected Type I motor as aguarded motor with its ventilating passages so constructed as tominimize the entrance of rain, snow and air-borne particles to theelectric parts. NEMA standard 1.25.8.2 defines a weather-protected TypeII motor as a Type I motor additionally having its ventilating passagesat both intake and discharge so arranged that high-velocity air andair-borne particles blown into the motor by storms or high winds can bedischarged without entering the internal ventilating passages leadingdirectly to the electric parts of the motor itself. NEMA standard1.25.8.2 further requires the normal path of ventilating air whichenters the electric parts to be so arranged by baffling or separatehousings as to provide at least three abrupt changes in direction, noneof which shall be less than ninety degrees. NEMA standard 1.25.8.2additionally provides that either an area of low velocity not exceedingsix-hundred feet per minute or an easy to clean (e.g., removable) filtershall be provided in the intake air path to minimize the possibility ofmoisture or dirt being carried into the electric parts of the motor.

Motors that satisfy the above-described NEMA standards for Type I motorsare typically provided in most ratings ranging from small, fractionalhorsepower motors to very large horsepower motors (e.g., in excess of10,000 HP). Type II motors are typically provided in ratings ofthree-hundred horsepower or higher. Both Type I and Type II motors canbe used for a wide array of applications (e.g., horizontal orvertical-shaft pumps, indoor or outdoor generators, etc.). Type I motorsdo not require the additional filtration housings and thus are typicallyless expensive, lighter weight, and less part-intensive than the Type IImotors. In this regard, depending on the ratings, these motors can weighin excess of several tons. For example, a 1000 HP Type II motor canweigh as much as three tons with the filtration housing weighing severalhundred pounds. It is preferred to use the less expensive Type I motorswhere possible, however, whether a Type I or Type II motor isappropriate for the specific application is largely governed by theoperating environment for the application. Type I motors are typicallyused in fairly clean indoor applications or outdoors where there issufficient protection from the elements (e.g., an overhead roof, etc.).Type II motors are typically utilized in relatively dirtier atmosphereswhere windborne dirt and/or moisture may be present. When the Type Imotor is operating in a border line environment, it is desirable toutilize a Type II motor instead. Accordingly, it is desirable to have amotor that can be converted from a Type I to Type II motor.

Commercial motors that satisfy the above-described NEMA standards foreither Type I or Type II motors are known in the art. These prior artmotors typically include a stator and a rotor rotatably supported in aprimary housing for driving a shaft coupled to the rotor. For a Type Imotor, the intake openings formed in the housing are typically guardedby simple screens. For a Type II motor, the majority of the primaryhousing is typically guarded by a large shroud-like filtration housingthat defines air flow to the intake openings. One example of these priorart motors are Emerson Electric Co.'s (the assignee of the presentapplication) motors previously available under the designation Titan I.

While the Titan I motors were the most advanced motors in the art at thetime, these prior art motors, like all other prior art motors, areproblematic and subject to several undesirable limitations. For example,prior art motors are typically specially manufactured as either a Type Ior a Type II motor, and cannot be readily converted to the other Type.In order to redesign a Titan I Type I motor to a Type II motor, forexample, the shroud-like structure must be specially cut and weldedaround several motor fittings (e.g., the oil supply lines, the oil drainlines, etc.). If the shroud is not properly manufactured to fit, oil canundesirably drain into the motor without easy detection. This specialmanufacture is further hindered by the weight of the shroud (e.g., theshroud must be supported by a crane during fitting and manufacture) andis both part and labor intensive. For example, an entire day of manhours is required to specially manufacture and fit a Type II shroud on aType I Titan I motor. The uniqueness of the prior art Type I and Type IImotors undesirably necessitates stocking both Type I motors and Type IImotors, resulting in undesirably high inventory costs. Additionally, theprior art Type II motors either undesirably draw hot exhausted air backinto the intake openings or require an asymmetrical, unbalanced housingdesign that does not optimally and uniformly cool the motor (e.g.,providing a “hot side” to the motor, etc.).

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention provides an improved weather-protected modularmotor enclosure that does not suffer from the problems and limitationsof the prior art motors described above. The improved motor enclosure ofthe present invention provides an inventive latching mechanism thatenables modular filtration housings to be quickly and easily secured tothe primary motor housing to protect the air intake openings fromweather and other undesired debris. The housings comply with the NEMAstandards for a weather-protected Type II motor, therefore, theinventive housings enable a weather-protected Type I motor to be quicklyand easily converted to a Type II motor. Accordingly, Type I motors ofthe present invention can be stocked along with the inventive and simpleType II conversion kits. When assembled on the motor according to apreferred embodiment, the pair of filtration housings provide optimaland uniform cooling to the motor and enable a symmetrical, balancedmotor that can be tested on a horizontal dynamometer with the housingsattached.

A first aspect of the present invention concerns an air-cooledweather-protected motor broadly including a stator, a rotor rotatablerelative to the stator about a rotational axis, and a vented protectivemotor enclosure protectively enclosing the stator and rotor whilepermitting airflow thereto. The enclosure includes a primary motorhousing in which the stator and rotor are at least substantially housed.The motor housing presents a plurality of spaced apart air intakeopenings through which ambient air is induced into the motor housingwhen the rotor is rotated. The intake openings are arranged so as topresent at least one pair of generally diametrically opposed intakeopenings relative to the rotational axis. The enclosure further includesa plurality of spaced apart air intake boxes, each of which is coupledto the motor housing in association with a respective one of the atleast one pair of intake openings. Each of the boxes includes at leastone air inlet and defines at least one passageway fluidly communicatingthe inlet and the respective one of the air intake openings.

A second aspect of the present invention concerns an air-cooledweather-protected motor broadly including a stator, a rotor rotatablerelative to the stator about a rotational axis, a vented protectivemotor enclosure protectively enclosing the stator and rotor whilepermitting airflow thereto, and a coupling mechanism. The enclosureincludes a primary motor housing in which the stator and rotor are atleast substantially housed. The motor housing presents a plurality ofspaced apart air intake openings through which ambient air is inducedinto the motor housing when the rotor is rotated. The enclosure furtherincludes an air intake box removably coupled to the motor housing inassociation with at least one of the intake openings. The intake box isconfigured to generally filter ambient air drawn into the enclosure andincludes at least one air inlet and defining at least one deviatedpassageway fluidly communicating the inlet and the at least one intakeopening. The coupling mechanism removably couples the intake box to themotor housing and includes an adapter plate and at least one hooklatchingly engaging the adapter plate to support the intake box on themotor housing.

A third aspect of the present invention concerns a method of convertinga weather-protected type I motor to a weather-protected type II motorwherein the weather-protected type I motor includes a motor housingpresenting an air intake opening, a screen guarding the opening, and arotor rotatably supported in the housing for drawing air through theintake opening. The method broadly includes the steps of removing thescreen from the opening, coupling an adaptor plate to the housing,forming an air passageway including an air inlet in an intake box,hanging the intake box onto the adaptor plate, and securing the intakebox to the adaptor plate so that air drawn through the opening is firstdrawn through the inlet and the passageway.

Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments andthe accompanying drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the invention are described in detail belowwith reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a weather-protected motorconstructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention including a pair of symmetrical filtration boxes guarding theintake openings and shown mounted above an outdoor, vertical-shaftedpump in a fluid pipeline;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the motor illustrated in FIG. 1 showingthe front exhaust openings and the right filtration box;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the motor showing the rear exhaustopenings and showing both the Type I and Type II components in anassembly view illustrating a conversion;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the right side of the motor takengenerally along the longitudinal center and showing air flow (designatedby arrows) through the passageways formed by the right filtration boxwith filters being mounted in the box;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the right filtration boxshown with an adaptor plate and illustrating the coupling mechanism forcoupling the box to the primary motor housing; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary top view of the motor illustrated in the aboveFigures and showing generally a quarter section of the motor toillustrate the coupling mechanism between the right filtration box andthe primary motor housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an air-cooled weather-protected motor 10 constructedin accordance with the principles of a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention and configured for vertical-shaft applications. Forexample, the motor 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 is shown mounted above anoutdoor, vertical-shafted pump P for pumping fluid (e.g., water, oil,etc.) through a pipeline L. As detailed below, the illustrated motor 10is an open-type motor that complies with NEMA standards for aweather-protected Type II motor. However, the principles of the presentinvention are not limited to any certain classification ofweather-protected motors but rather apply equally to virtually any typeof air-cooled motor having guarded intake openings. Additionally, theprinciples of the present invention are not limited to vertical shaftmotors but also apply to other types of motors, such as horizontal shaftmotors. The illustrated motor 10 broadly includes a stator 12, a shaftedrotor assembly 14 rotatably supported relative to the stator 12, and avented protective motor enclosure 16 enclosing the stator 12 and therotor assembly 14 (see FIGS. 1 and 4). The enclosure 16 includes aprimary motor housing 18 and a pair of filtration boxes 20 and 22removably coupled to either side of the housing 18 to guard air intakethrough the housing 18 to the stator 12 and the rotor assembly 14.

Turning initially to FIG. 4, the illustrated motor 10 is a solid shaft,three-phase induction motor (e.g., 1000 HP, 1800 rpm rating). In onemanner well known in the art, the stator 12 includes a core including awire coil 24 wound longitudinally through a lamination stack formed oflamination packets 26 (e.g., iron, steel, etc.) and metal bars 28 (e.g.,aluminum, steel, etc.) separating the packets 26 to form air ductstherebetween. The core of the stator 12 is fixed relative to the insideof the primary motor housing 18 (e.g., shrink-fitted, pinned, etc.). Thewire coil 24 is electrically connected to an electrical conduit box 30(see FIG. 1) operable to interconnect to a three-phase power source. Therotor assembly 14 includes a similar lamination stack 32 in a concentricrelationship to the core of the stator 12 and rotatably supportedrelative thereto. The rotor assembly 14 further includes end rings 34and 36 fixed to the ends of the stack 32. Each of the end rings 34,36includes integrally formed fan blades for drawing ambient air throughthe rotor assembly 14 and the stator 12 when the rotor assembly 14 isrotated. In this manner, the motor 10 is an air-cooled motor. The rotorassembly 14 also includes a shaft 38 fixed relative to the stack 32 sothat the shaft 38 rotates around a central rotational axis with thestack 32. The illustrated shaft 38 is a spider shaft and in one mannerknown in the art is rotatably supported on the motor housing 18 by topand bottom annular brackets 40 and 42, with each bracket 40,42 beingfixed relative to the motor housing 18 (e.g., bolted, etc.) and aplurality of bearings 44 separating the brackets 40,42 and the shaft 38.To facilitate lifting the motor 10, the top bracket 40 includes a pairof integrally formed lifts 40 a and 40 b (e.g., operable to hook to acrane, hoist, etc.). The bearings 44 are lubricated by an oil sump andaccordingly a separate bearing mounting 46 is affixed to the shaft 38with a slip fit and is retained with a locknut. The above-describeddrive components are guarded from above by a canopy cap 48. It is withinthe ambit of the present invention to utilize various alternativeconfigurations known in the art for the rotor assembly and the stator,such as for example, a rotor powered by power sources that do not usethree-phase, induction power, or a rotor assembly having a hollow shaft,etc. However, it is important that the motor at least in part utilizesair-cooling to cool some of the power-driving components of the motor.

Turning now to FIGS. 1-4, the motor enclosure 16 protectively enclosesthe stator 12 and the rotor assembly 14 to guard them from undesiredweather and debris while still permitting airflow to the stator 12 andthe rotor assembly 14. As will be subsequently described in detail, theprimary motor housing 18 can be utilized without the filtration boxes20,22 to operate the motor as a weather-protected Type I motor and thefiltration boxes 20,22 can be used with the motor housing 18 to operatethe motor as a weather-protected Type II motor. The primary motorhousing 18 is a generally hollow cylindrical body that rotatablysupports the rotor assembly 14 inside the cylindrical body and supportsthe filtration boxes 20,22 on the outside of the cylindrical body. Inmore detail, the illustrated motor housing 18 includes an external wall50 that presents eight generally equal sides 52, 54, 56, 58, 60, 62, 64,and 66 that define an octagonal cross-sectional shape for the motorhousing wall 50. In this regard, the motor housing 18 defines alongitudinal center axis (designated as A_(LC) in FIG. 4) and each ofthe sides 52,54,56,58,60,62,64,66 are equally spaced and symmetricallyarranged around the axis A_(LC). The center axis A_(LC) is coextensivewith the rotational axis of the rotor assembly 14.

As previously indicated, in operation the rotor assembly 14 is at leastin part cooled by air drawn through the rotor assembly 14. In thisregard, the primary motor housing 18 includes a plurality of air intakeopenings and exhaust openings formed through the external wall 50.Particularly, the illustrated housing 18 includes a pair of air intakeopenings formed through the wall side 64, including an upper intakeopening 68 and a lower intake opening 70 (see FIG. 3). The housing 18further includes an identical pair of air intake openings, diametricallyopposite the openings 68,70, formed through the motor housing wall side56 (not shown). In addition, the housing 18 includes a plurality ofbottom air intake openings 72, one each formed through the correspondingwall sides 54,58, 62,66 (with only the bottom opening 72 formed throughthe side 62 being shown in FIG. 3). As will be subsequently described indetail, the motor 10 can be converted for operation as either aweather-protected Type I or Type II motor. When the motor 10 is operatedas a Type II motor as illustrated, the bottom openings 72 are not usedand thus are covered with intake covers 74 (see, e.g., FIG. 2).

The primary motor housing 18 also includes a plurality of air exhaustopenings 76, 78, 80, and 82 formed through the motor housing wall 50(see FIGS. 2 and 3). Each of the illustrated exhaust openings76,78,80,82 includes a plurality of smaller apertures formed through thewall 50 that cooperate to define the corresponding exhaust opening76,78,80,82. For purposes that will subsequently be described, theapertures of each opening are generally arranged around a center axisthat is located vertically between the intake openings 68,70 and locatedon a wall side that is offset from both sides 56 and 64 by at leastninety degrees. The illustrated exhaust openings 76,78 are generallylocated on wall side 52 (see FIG. 2) and the exhaust openings 80,82 aregenerally located on wall side 60 (see FIG. 3). Although a small portionof the apertures that form the exhaust openings 76,78 are located oneither wall side 54 or 66, the majority of the corresponding aperturesare located on side 52, as is the center axis of the openings 76,78, andthus at least a portion of the exhaust openings 76,78 are at leastninety degrees offset from the intake openings 68,70 as that phrase isused herein.

For purposes that will subsequently be described, the primary motorhousing 18 also includes top and bottom annular air deflectors 84 and86, respectively (see FIG. 4). Each of the deflectors 84,86 encircle therotor assembly 14. The housing 18 further includes top and bottomannular air dams 88 and 90, respectively (see FIG. 3). Each of the dams88,90 extends around the interior circumference of the external wall 50and is positioned between the wall 50 and the rotor assembly 14. As willbe described in detail below, the air dams 88,90 cooperate with thecorresponding air deflectors 84,86 to direct air flow from the airintake openings (e.g., intake openings 68,70) into the rotor assembly14.

As previously indicated, and as will be further detailed below, theillustrated motor 10 complies with NEMA standards for aweather-protected Type II motor, however, the motor 10 can be convertedfor operation as a weather-protected Type I. As shown in FIG. 3, inorder to convert the motor 10 to a Type I, the primary motor housing 18of the vented protective motor enclosure 16 is utilized without thefiltration boxes 20,22. Further, filter screens 92 and 94 are placed(e.g., with threaded fasteners, etc.) over the upper intake openings(e.g., screen 94 is placed over the intake opening 68) and the intakecovers 74 are removed from the bottom intake openings 72. Regardless ofwhether the motor is operated as a Type I or Type II, the motor housing18 is configured to provide optimum and even cooling of thepower-driving components 12,14. In this regard, all of the intakeopenings include a complemental, diametrically opposed intake opening toenable cooling air to be induced into the motor housing 18 evenly onboth sides of the rotor 14. Additionally, the exhaust openings76,78,80,82 are all located between the upper and lower or bottom intakeopenings 68 and 70,72, respectively. That is to say, the exhaustopenings 76,78,80,82 are each spaced along the center axis A_(LC) fromeach of the intake openings 68,70,72 so that any plane that intersectsone of the exhaust openings 76,78,80,82 and the center axis A_(LC) andthat is orthogonal to the center axis A_(LC) does not also intersect anyof the intake openings 68,70,72. Furthermore, the exhaust openings76,78,80,82 are all offset by at least ninety degrees relative to allintake openings positioned above the exhaust openings 76,78,80,82 (e.g.,the upper intake openings including opening 68). In this manner, coolambient air is induced evenly into both sides of the motor housing 18and hot air that has been drawn through the components 12,14 isexhausted out of the middle of the motor housing 18. In this manner, themotor 10 is evenly cooled to prevent the occurrence of a “hot side” ofthe motor 10 during operation. Additionally, the ninety degree offsetgenerally prevents the hot exhausted air from being drawn back into theintake openings. That is to say, the relatively warmer exhaust air willnaturally rise relative to the cooler ambient air, therefore, the upperintake openings being offset ninety degrees from the exhaust openings76,78,80,82 greatly reduces the risk of the hot exhaust air being drawnback into the upstream intake openings (particularly when the filtrationboxes 20,22 are utilized). In this manner, the motor 10 is optimallycooled to minimize the operating temperature of the power-drivingcomponents 12,14.

As previously indicated, the illustrated motor 10 with the filtrationboxes 20,22 (e.g., FIGS. 1 and 2) complies with NEMA standards for aweather-protected Type II motor. The filtration boxes 20,22 can berelatively quickly and easily removably coupled to the primary motorhousing 18 to guard air intake through the housing 18 to the stator 12and the rotor assembly 14. When the boxes 20,22 are coupled to thehousing 18, each of the boxes 20,22 is associated with a pair of upperand lower intake openings. In more detail, and turning to FIGS. 3 and 4,the filtration boxes 20,22 are coupled to opposite sides 56,64,respectively, of the housing 18 so that the housing 18 is receivedbetween the boxes 20,22. In this manner, the boxes 20,22 arediametrically opposed relative to the center axis A_(LC) For purposesthat will subsequently be described, this symmetrical positioning of theboxes 20,22 enables a balanced, streamlined motor enclosure 16 thatprovides several advantages.

Each of the filtration boxes 20,22 are virtually identically configured,therefore, only the filtration box 20 will be described in detail withthe understanding that the box 22 is similarly constructed. Thefiltration box 20 includes an upper air inlet 96 associated with theupper air intake opening 68. In this regard, and as further detailedbelow, the box 20 defines an upper fluid passageway 98 that fluidlycommunicates the upper air inlet 96 with the upper air intake opening 68(see FIG. 4). Similarly, the filtration box 20 includes a lower airinlet 100 and defines a lower fluid passageway 102 that fluidlycommunicates the lower inlet 100 with the lower air intake opening 70.Particularly, the filtration box 20 includes a pair of spaced apart,generally parallel, flat sidewalls 104 and 106. Each of the sidewalls104,106 is generally trapezoidal in shape and, for purposes that willsubsequently be described, presents a plurality of apertures 108 and110, respectively, along the major dimensioned edge (see FIGS. 3 and 5).As will be further described below, formed in each of the sidewalls104,106 is a corresponding threaded flange 112 and 114, with each of theflanges shown sealed with a threaded cap 116. For purposes that willsubsequently be described, the pair of sidewalls 104,106 are spacedapart a width dimension that is less than the diameter of the body ofthe motor housing 18 but greater than the width of the sidewall 64 ofthe housing 18 (see FIG. 6). Additionally, each of the sidewalls 104,106extends in a plane that is generally equal distance from the center axisA_(LC). Extending between the sidewalls 104,106 is an inside cover panel118, an outside cover panel 120, and an interior baffling 122.

The inside cover panel 118 of the filtration box 20 is a generally flatpanel that extends substantially along the major dimensioned edges ofthe sidewalls 104,106. For purposes that will become apparent, the panel118 is recessed relative to the major dimensioned edges of the sidewalls104,106 so that the fastener apertures 108,110 are positioned betweenthe inside cover panel 118 and the motor housing wall side 64. Theinside cover panel 118 presents an upper air outlet 124 and a lower airoutlet 126 (see FIGS. 3-5) formed therein. The upper outlet 124 isadjacent the top edge of the panel 118 and the lower outlet 126 isadjacent the lower edge of the panel 118. Each of the outlets 124,126 isconfigured to fluidly communicate with the upper and lower air intakeopenings 68 and 70, respectively, and are each generally coextensivetherewith.

The outside cover panel 120 of the filtration box 20 is an angular panelthat extends substantially along the minor dimensioned edges of thesidewalls 104,106 and the angular edges of the sidewalls 104,106. Thepanel 120 includes a bottom section 120 a, a back section 120 b, and atop section 120 c. The bottom section 120 a extends between the bottomangular edges of the sidewalls 104,106 and terminates at, and is coupledto, the bottom edge of the inside cover panel 118. The lower air inlet100 is formed in the bottom section 120 a. The middle section 120 bextends between the minor dimensioned edges of the sidewalls 104,106.The upper air inlet 96 is formed in the middle section 120 b of theoutside cover panel 120. For purposes that will subsequently bedescribed, formed in the middle section 120 b on either side of the airinlet 96 is a pair of filter-receiving slots 128 and 130 (see FIG. 3).As will be further detailed below, formed in the panel 120 adjacent theair inlets 96,100 and the slots 128,130 are a plurality offastener-receiving apertures. As indicated above, the boxes 20,22 aresymmetrically positioned and balanced on the motor housing 18. In thisregard, the back wall of each of the boxes 20,22 (e.g., the middlesection 120 b of the outside cover panel 120 of the box 20) aregenerally equal distance from the center axis A_(LC). The top section120 c of the panel 120 extends between top angular edges of thesidewalls 104,106 and is coupled to the top edge of the inside coverpanel 118. However, unlike the bottom section 120 a, the top section 120c does not terminate at the panel 118. Instead, and as will besubsequently described in detail, one of the components of the couplingmechanism (described below) is integrally formed with the top section120 c of the panel 120 in the illustrated filtration box 20.

As previously indicated, the filtration box 20 includes the interiorbaffling 122. Particularly, the baffling 122 extends between thesidewalls 104,106 and extends between the outside cover panel 120 andthe inside cover panel 118. In this manner, the baffling 122 divides theinterior of the box 20 into an upper chamber 20 a and a lower chamber 20b (see FIG. 4). The baffling 122 includes two bends that define a lowersection 122 a, a middle section 122 b, and an upper section 122 c. Thelower section 122 a of the baffling 122 extends from the middle section120 b of the panel 120 just below the upper air inlet 96 and anglesupwardly to the first bend therein. The middle section 122 b of thebaffling 122 extends generally parallel to the middle section 120 b ofthe panel 120 and extends between the two bends in the baffling 122. Theupper section 122 c of the baffling 122 extends between the second bendand the inside cover panel 118 and is generally perpendicular to themiddle section 122 b.

The baffling 122 cooperates with the sidewalls 104,106 and the panels118,120 to define the upper fluid passageway 98 in the upper chamber 20a and the lower fluid passageway 102 in the lower chamber 20 b. Each ofthe fluid passageways 98,102 are deviated passageways that direct an airstream into the motor housing 18 and generally filter undesired debrisout of the ambient air stream drawn through the inlets 96,100 prior tothe air stream reaching the drive components 12,14. In more detail, theupper fluid passageway 98 directs the stream of air through the upperchamber 20 a and into the motor housing 18 generally along the pathdesignated by arrows 98 a and 98 b in FIG. 4. As detailed below, oncethe air stream exits the chamber 20 a it enters the motor housing 18through the upper air intake opening 68 and flows to the drivecomponents 12,14 generally along the path designated by arrow 98 c inFIG. 4. When the rotor 14 rotates, ambient air adjacent the filtrationbox 20 is induced through the upper air inlet 96 and into the upperchamber 20 a as indicated by the arrow 98 a. Once the air stream entersthe upper chamber 20 a, the air stream deflects off of the lower andmiddle sections 122 a,b of the baffling and is diverted ninety degreeswhere It proceeds upwardly between the baffling 122, the outside coverpanel 120, and the sidewalls 104,106. As the air stream contacts thebaffling sections 122 a,b, debris is caused to fall out of the airstream. As the air stream proceeds along the upper fluid passageway 98,the air stream deflects off of the top section 120 c of the panel 120and is diverted ninety degrees again where It proceeds into the upperair intake opening 68 as indicated by the arrow 98 b. Again, portions ofthe remaining airborne debris are caused to drop out of the air streamwhen it engages the panel 120 prior to entering the primary motorhousing 18.

In a similar manner, the lower fluid passageway 102 directs a stream ofair through the lower chamber 20 b and into the motor housing 18generally along the path designated by arrows 102 a and 102 b in FIG. 4where airborne debris is knocked out of the stream by engagement withportions of the filtration box 20 defining the lower chamber 20 b. Whenthe rotor 14 rotates, ambient air adjacent the filtration box 20 isinduced through the lower air inlet 100 and into the lower chamber 20 bas indicated by the arrow 102 a. Once the air stream enters the lowerchamber 20 b, the air stream deflects off of the lower section 122 a ofthe baffling 122 and is diverted ninety degrees toward the inside coverpanel 118 where it is diverted another ninety degrees and directedtoward the lower air intake opening 70. As the air stream proceeds alongthe lower fluid passageway 102, the air stream deflects off of thebottom section 120 a of the outside cover panel 120 and diverted ninetydegrees into the primary motor housing 18. Once the air stream exits thechamber 20 b it enters the motor housing 18 through the lower air intakeopening 70 and flows to the drive components 12,14 generally along thepath designated by arrow 102 c in FIG. 4.

As just described, the upper and lower chambers 20 a,20 b each define aplurality of ninety degree bends in the upper and lower fluidpassageways 98,102, respectively. Once the air streams exit the chambers20 a,20 b and enter the motor housing 18, the air dams 88,90 furtherdeflect the corresponding air streams at least one additional ninetydegree bend into the air deflectors 84,86 prior to the air streamentering the drive components 12,14 as indicated by the arrows 98 c,102c in FIG. 4. In this manner, the motor 10 having the filtration boxes20,22 satisfy the NEMA standards for a Type II weather-protected motor.As detailed above, the NEMA standards further require either an area oflow velocity (e.g., not exceeding 600 fpm) or an easy to clean (e.g.,removable) filter in the air intake path. In this regard, in addition tothe air filtration provided by the deviated passageways, each of thechambers 20 a,20 b is also provided with a low velocity area and isconfigured to removably receive an air filter in the respective fluidpassageway 98,102. Particularly, each of the inlets 96,100 issufficiently spaced from the rotor 14 so that ambient air inducedthrough the inlets 96,100 does not exceed six-hundred feet per minuteprior to reaching the first ninety degree bend. Each of the chambers 20a,20 b further includes a corresponding air dam plate 132 and 134respectively, extending between the sidewalls 104,106 that furtherdefine the fluid passageways 98,102 so that air induced through therespective inlet 96,100 must deviate at the first ninety degree bend tothereby preserve the low velocity area. Because the lower air inlet 100is closer in proximity to the rotor 14 than the upper air inlet 96, theair dam plate 134 in the lower chamber 20 b is configured differentlythan the air dam plate 132 in the upper chamber 20 a. Particularly, theair dam plate 134 is more pronounced and is configured to define aone-hundred and eighty degree bend in the lower fluid passageway 102.

As shown in FIG. 4, each of the chambers 20 a,20 b is configured toremovably receive a filter 136 and 138, respectively, in thecorresponding fluid passageway 98,102. In this regard, each of thechambers 20 a,20 b includes a corresponding pair of spaced apartfilter-receiving channels (with only the channels 136 a and 138 a,respectively, fixed to the sidewall 106 being shown in FIG. 4). Thechannels associated with the filter 136 (e.g., the channel 136 a) areeach fixed to a corresponding sidewall 104,106, respectively, and extendbetween the cover panel 120 and the baffling 122. The channelsassociated with the filter 138 (e.g., the channel 138 a) are each fixedto a corresponding sidewall 104,106, respectively, and extend betweenthe cover panel 120 and the air dam plate 134. The filter-receivingchannels 136 a,138 a are aligned with the corresponding filter-receivingslots 128,130, respectively. In this manner, the filters 136,138 can beeasily inserted and/or removed from the channels through thecorresponding slots 128,130. Each of the slots 128,130 also includes anassociated filter cover plate 140 and 142, respectively, that isremovably fastened to the cover panel 120 by threaded fasteners, such asscrews, bolts, etc. (not shown), received in the adjacentfastener-receiving apertures. It is not necessary to utilize the filters136,138 to obtain adequate filtration of the air streams, however, ifthe filters 136,138 are utilized, the filters should be periodicallyremoved and cleaned and/or replaced to ensure proper air filtration. Inthis regard, a pressure differential switch (partially shown asreference numeral 144 in FIG. 4) can be screwed into one or both of thethreaded flanges 112,114 in place of the caps 116. The switch 144preferably monitors the increases in the pressure drop through thefilter 136 as a method of detecting the accumulation of debris in thefilter 136. One such suitable switch is available as Model No. 1950 fromDwyer Instruments, Inc. of Michigan City, Ind.

In addition to the air filtration provided as detailed above, each ofthe air inlets 96,100 are protected by a corresponding screen 96 a and100 a, respectively. The screens 96 a,100 a couple to the outside coverpanel 118 with threaded fasteners, such as screws, bolts, etc. (notshown), received in the adjacent fastener-receiving apertures. It isbelieved the fluid passageways 98,102 enable the most effective andefficient filtration of air provided to the air intake openings 68,70 ofthe motor housing 18 and comply with the NEMA standards for a Type IImotor. As previously indicated, the fluid passageways of the filtrationbox 22 are virtually identically configured to those of the filtrationbox 20 detailed above. However, it is within the ambit of the presentinvention to utilize various alternative designs and configurations forthe fluid passageways provided by the filtration boxes. For example, theboxes need not define two separate passageways, particularly where theboxes are utilized on a motor housing defining only one air intakeassociated with each box. However, It is Important that the boxes definepassageways that enable compliance with the NEMA standards for a Type IIweather-protected motor (e.g., at least three ninety degree bends and alow velocity area or a removable filter).

Turning to FIGS. 3-6, and as indicated above, the filtration box 20 canbe relatively quickly and easily removably coupled to the primary motorhousing 18 in order to convert the motor from a Type I to a Type IIweather-protected motor. In this regard, the box 20 includes a couplingmechanism for removably coupling the box 20 to the motor housing 18. Theillustrated coupling mechanism includes a pair of adapter plates 146 and148 and a pair of hooks 150 and 152 for latchingly engaging the upperadapter plate 146 to support the box 20 on the motor housing 18. In moredetail, the upper and lower adapter plates 146,148 are each configuredto couple to the sidewall 64 of the motor housing 18 around acorresponding one of the intake openings 68,70, respectively. Theadapter plates 146,148 are virtually identically configured andaccordingly only the upper adapter plate 146 will be described in detailwith the understanding that the lower adapter plate 148 is similarlyconstructed. The adapter plate 146 is a four-sided, generallyrectangular frame-like structure that defines an inner portal 146 a thatcircumscribes the upper air intake opening 68 when the plate 146 iscoupled to the sidewall 64 of the motor housing 18 (see FIG. 5). Theplate 146 includes a plurality of fastener-receiving apertures 154formed through the frame adjacent the portal 146 a. For purposes thatwill subsequently be described, the plate 146 further includes aplurality of fastener-receiving apertures 156 formed through the side ofthe frame and sized and dimensioned to complementally align with thebolt apertures 108,110 of the sidewalls 104,106. The adapter plate 146is coupled to the side 64 of the motor housing 18 with a plurality ofthreaded fasteners 158 (e.g., bolts, screws, etc.) received through theapertures 154 (see FIGS. 3 and 6). The plate 146 presents a top edge 146b that is dimensioned so that, when the plate 146 is coupled to the side64 of the housing 18, each side of the top edge 146 b extends beyond themargins of the side 64 as shown in FIG. 6. Additionally, the plate 146is dimensioned so that when the filtration box 20 is coupled to theplate 146 as detailed below, the plate 146 is received between the side64, the inside cover panel 118, and the sidewalls 104,106 so that thesidewalls 104,106 extend beyond the plate 146 and the side 64. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 6, in the illustrated, motor 10, the sidewalls104,106 engage the sides 62,66, respectively.

The Illustrated pair of hooks 150,152 of the coupling mechanism areintegrally formed with the top section 120 c of the outside cover panel120 as shown in FIG. 5. Particularly, a coupling bar 160 extends fromthe top section 120 c and comprises the portion of the section 120 cthat extends past the inside cover panel 118 (see FIG. 5). The hooks150,152 are integrally formed with, and extend from either side of, thecoupling bar 160. The hooks 150,152 and the coupling bar 160 areconfigured to cooperate to latchingly receive the top edge 146 of theadapter plate 146 when the filtration box 20 is coupled to the motorhousing 18 (see FIG. 6). The hooks 150,152 are sized, dimensioned andspaced to engage the portion of the top edge 146 b that extends beyondthe margins of the side 64 as shown in FIG. 6. In this manner, thefiltration box 20 can be “hung” on the motor housing 18 by engaging thehooks 150,152 with the adapter plate 146. Once the box 20 has been hungon the motor housing 18, fasteners (e.g., bolts, screws, etc.) can bethreaded through the complementing apertures 108,110 and 156 to furthersecure the filtration box 20 to the primary motor housing 18.

It will be appreciated that the motor 10 is a relatively heavy motor,typically weighing between four-thousand and six-thousand pounds. Theprotective motor enclosure 16 is preferably formed from a hard metal(e.g., steel or other iron alloys, etc.) and thus each of the filtrationboxes 20,22 can account for in excess of one-thousand pounds of thetotal motor weight. The improved motor enclosure 16 with the inventivecoupling mechanism enables the modular filtration boxes 20,22 to bequickly and easily secured to the primary motor housing 18. For example,the filtration boxes 20,22 can be secured to the motor housing 18 in aslittle as ten minutes time, significantly less than the one day requiredto secure the prior art shrouds. The reduced time to couple thefiltration boxes 20,22 is in large part due to the fact that thecoupling mechanism enables the boxes 20,22 to be hung on the motorhousing 18 and thus supported thereon while the boxes 20,22 are fastenedto the housing 18. In this regard, each of the boxes 20,22 includelifting provisions to facilitate hanging the boxes 20,22 on the housing18. For example, the filtration box 20 includes an internally threadedrod 162 gusseted to the top section 120 c of the outside cover panel 120(see FIG. 4). The rod 162 is configured to threadably receive an eyebolt(not shown) for lifting the box 20 (e.g., with a crane, hoist, etc.). Inthis regard, the rod 162 is preferably located generally at the centerof gravity of the box 20 to facilitate moving and hanging the box 20.Although not shown, the filtration box 20 preferably includes a similarlifting provision located generally at the center of gravity of the box20 on one or both of the sidewalls 104,106 to facilitate lifting and/orhanging the box 20 onto the motor housing 18 when the motor is orientedhorizontally (e.g., on a horizontal dynamometer, etc.).

Additionally, the inventive protective motor enclosure 16 with theeasily couplable and removable filtration boxes 20,22 enable the motor10 to be quickly and easily interchanged and/or converted between aweather-protected Type I and weather-protected Type II motor. Thisconversion, as further detailed below in the operation section, isenabled by the inventive coupling mechanism and in part by the fact thatthe boxes 20,22 are configured to couple to the motor housing 18 withoutinterfering with the drive component fittings, such as oil supply linesand oil drain lines (see FIG. 3). In this regard, the filtration boxes20,22 are simply hung on the housing 18 and bolted thereto, without theneed for any specially manufactured fittings, cuts, welds, etc.Accordingly, the motor of the present invention can be stocked as a TypeI motor along with the inventive and simple Type II conversion kits, asdetailed below (e.g., filtration boxes 20,22, adapter plates 146,148,fasteners 158, filters 136,138, etc.). Furthermore, the unique motor ofthe present invention can be tested on a horizontal dynamometer eitheras a Type I or Type II motor (e.g., with the filtration boxes 20,22attached) and the boxes 20,22 can be removed or added to the housing 18while the motor is on the dynamometer.

It is within the ambit of the present invention to utilize variousalternative configurations for the coupling mechanism for the filtrationboxes 20,22. For example, the adapter plates 146,148 could be coupled tothe box 20 and the coupling bar 160 and hooks 150,152 could be fixed tothe motor housing 18. Additionally, it is not necessary that a pair ofhooks be utilized or even that hooks be utilized at all. However, it isimportant that the coupling mechanism enables filtration box 20 to bequickly and easily hung on the motor housing and supported thereon priorto securing (i.e., fastening, etc.) the box 20 to the housing 18.

As indicated above, filtration box 22 is virtually identicallyconfigured as the box 20 and couples to the motor housing 18 in asimilar fashion. In this regard, the illustrated motor 10 is asymmetrical, balanced weather-protected Type II motor having a center ofgravity that is generally located along the rotational and longitudinalcenter axis A_(LC). In this manner, the relatively heavy weight of themotor 10 does not impede or interfere with elevated applications. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 1, the illustrated motor 10 is well suited forvertical-shaft applications, such as mounted above the outdoor,vertical-shafted pump P for pumping fluid (e.g., water, oil, etc.)through the pipeline L. However, it is within the ambit of the presentinvention to utilize various alternative designs and configurations forthe motor enclosure 16. For example, the principles of the presentinvention are not limited to an enclosure having a pair of filtrationboxes. However, it is important that the motor enclosure enables amodular filtration housing that complies with the NEMA standards for aweather-protected Type II motor to be quickly and easily secured to themotor to protect the air intake openings from weather and otherundesired debris. Additionally, it is important that enclosure enables aweather-protected Type I motor to be quickly and easily converted to aType II motor.

In operation, the motor can be operated as either a weather-protectedType I motor or a weather-protected Type II motor, as shown in FIG. 3,can be easily interchanged and/or converted from a Type I to a Type II.To operate the motor as a Type I motor, the filtration boxes 20,22 arenot used (or are removed as detailed below). The upper air intakeopenings (e.g., the opening 68) in the motor housing 18 are guarded byfastening the screens 92,94 to the housing 18. The lower air intakeopenings (e.g., the opening 70) are not utilized and thus are coveredwith intake covers 164 and 166 by fastening the covers 164,166 to themotor housing 18 as shown in FIG. 3. Instead, the bottom air intakeopenings 72 are utilized and thus the intake covers 74 are not utilized(i.e., removed). Three-phase power is connected to the conduit box 30and the rotor 14 is rotated relative to the stator 12. When the rotor 14rotates, ambient air adjacent the openings 68,72 is drawn through theopenings and directed to the drive components 12,14 to thereby cool thewire coil 24, the plates 26, the bars 28, and the lamination stack 32.The hot air is then exhausted through the exhaust openings 76,78,80,82.The rotating rotor 14 causes the shaft 38 to rotate to thereby drive theapplication connected to the motor (e.g., the pump P).

To convert the motor from a Type I motor as previously described to aType II motor 10, the filtration boxes 20,22 must be added to the motorhousing 18. In particular, the screens 92,94 and the intake covers164,166 are removed from the housing 18. The bottom air intake openings72 are not utilized and thus the intake covers 74 are fastened to thehousing 18 covering the openings 72. Next, the adapter plates (e.g.,adapter plates 146,148) are bolted to the housing 18 over the upper andlower intake openings (e.g., openings 68,70) by threading the fasteners158 through the apertures 154 and into the housing 18 (e.g., into theapertures formed in the side 64). The filtration boxes 20,22 are thenhung on the adapter plates and supported thereon by the hooks (e.g., bythe hooks 150,152). For example, each of the boxes 20,22 could be liftedwith a crane connected to the lifting provisions (e.g., the liftingprovision 162) and hung on the housing 18. Once the boxes 20,22 aresupported on the motor housing 18, the boxes 20,22 can be secured to thehousing 18 by bolting the boxes 20,22 to the adapter plates (e.g., byinserting bolts through the complementally aligned apertures 156 and108,110). The filters 136,138 are then slid through the filter-receivingslots 128,130 into the channels (e.g., the channels 136 a,138 a) and thefilter cover plates 140,142 are secured to the cover panel 120 over theslots 128,130. Optionally, because the illustrated boxes 20,22 providefor a low velocity area, use of the filters 136,138 is not required.Finally, the screens 96 a,100 a are fastened to the cover panel 120 overthe corresponding air inlets 96,100, respectively. The illustrated TypeII motor 10 operates in similar fashion as that described above withrespect to the Type I motor. However, ambient air is first inducedthrough the air inlets 96,100 and drawn through the fluid passageways98,102 prior to entering the air intake openings 68,70 as shown in FIG.4.

The preferred forms of the invention described above are to be used asillustration only, and should not be utilized in a limiting sense ininterpreting the scope of the present invention. Obvious modificationsto the exemplary embodiments, as hereinabove set forth, could be readilymade by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit ofthe present invention.

The inventors hereby state their intent to rely on the Doctrine ofEquivalents to determine and assess the reasonably fair scope of thepresent invention as pertains to any apparatus not materially departingfrom but outside the literal scope of the invention as set forth in thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An air-cooled weather-protected motor comprising:a stator; a rotor rotatable relative to the stator about a rotationalaxis; and a vented protective motor enclosure protectively enclosing thestator and rotor while permitting airflow thereto, said enclosureincluding a primary motor housing in which the stator and rotor are atleast substantially housed, said motor housing including an externalwall extending at least in part along the rotational axis, said motorhousing presenting in the external wall along the rotational axis aplurality of spaced apart air intake openings through which ambient airis induced into the motor housing when the rotor is rotated, said intakeopenings being arranged so as to present at least one pair of generallydiametrically opposed intake openings relative to the rotational axis,said enclosure further including a plurality of spaced apart air intakeboxes, each of which is coupled to the motor housing in association witha respective one of said at least one pair of intake openings so as toproject radially outward from the respective one of the intake openings,each of said boxes including at least one air inlet and defining atleast one passageway fluidly communicating the inlet and the respectiveone of the air intake openings.
 2. The motor as claimed in claim 1, saidprimary motor housing being generally cylindrically shaped andpresenting a longitudinal center axis, said center axis being generallycoextensive with said rotational axis.
 3. The motor as claimed in claim2, said plurality of intake boxes including a first intake box and asecond intake box spaced from the first intake box so that the primarymotor housing is at least partially received between the first andsecond boxes.
 4. The motor as claimed in claim 3, said first and secondintake boxes being diametrically opposed relative to said center axis.5. The motor as claimed in claim 4, said first intake box presenting apair of first sidewalls spaced on either side of the first intake boxpassageway, said first sidewalls extending in generally parallel planesspaced on either side of the center axis, said second intake boxpresenting a pair of second sidewalls spaced on either side of thesecond intake box passageway, said second sidewalls extending ingenerally parallel planes spaced on either side of the center axis. 6.The motor as claimed in claim 5, said primary motor housing presenting across sectional diameter dimension, said first and second sidewallsextending in the same parallel planes so that each of said first andsecond intake boxes presents generally the same width dimension measuredbetween the planes, said diameter dimension being greater than saidwidth dimension.
 7. The motor as claimed in claim 6, said first andsecond intake boxes being positioned along the primary motor housing sothat the center axis is generally equal distance from each box and thecenter axis is generally equal distance from each of said same parallelplanes.
 8. The motor as claimed in claim 7, said first intake boxincluding a first back wall spaced from the primary motor housing andextending between the first sidewalls, said second intake box includinga second back wall spaced from the primary motor housing and extendingbetween the second sidewalls, said first and second back walls beinggenerally equal distance from the center axis.
 9. The motor as claimedin claim 8, said primary motor housing presenting eight generally equalsides so as to define an octagonal cross sectional shape.
 10. The motoras claimed in claim 1, each of said passageways being deviated so as togenerally filter ambient air drawn through the passageways.
 11. Themotor as claimed in claim 10, said passageway and said intake openingassociated with each of the intake boxes cooperating to define at leastthree bends of at least ninety degrees between the respective inlets andthe rotor.
 12. The motor as claimed in claim 11, each of said inletsbeing sufficiently spaced from the rotor so that ambient air inducedthrough the inlets does not exceed six-hundred feet per minute prior toreaching the first of said at least three bends.
 13. The motor asclaimed in claim 11, said rotor presenting a first end and an oppositelyspaced second end, said at least one pair of intake openings beingpositioned adjacent said first end.
 14. The motor as claimed in claim13, said plurality of intake openings presenting an additional pair ofgenerally diametrically opposed intake openings relative to therotational axis, said additional pair of intake openings each being influid communication with a different one of the intake boxes, saidadditional pair of intake openings being positioned adjacent the secondend of the rotor.
 15. The motor as claimed in claim 14, each of saidboxes including an additional air inlet and defining an additionaldeviated passageway fluidly communicating the additional inlet and therespective one of the additional pair of intake openings.
 16. The motoras claimed in claim 15, said additional passageway and said additionalintake opening associated with each of the intake boxes cooperating todefine at least three bends of at least ninety degrees between therespective additional inlets and the rotor.
 17. The motor as claimed inclaim 11, each of said intake boxes including a pair of spaced apartchannels operable to removably receive a filter in the respectivepassageway.
 18. The motor as claimed in claim 1, said intake boxes beingremovably coupled to the primary motor housing.
 19. The motor as claimedin claim 1, said motor housing presenting at least one air exhaustopening through which air induced into the motor housing is exhaustedwhen the rotor is rotated.
 20. An air-cooled weather-protected motorcomprising: a stator; a rotor rotatable relative to the stator about arotational axis; and a vented protective motor enclosure protectivelyenclosing the stator and rotor while permitting airflow thereto, saidenclosure including a primary motor housing in which the stator androtor are at least substantially housed, said motor housing presenting aplurality of spaced apart air intake openings through which ambient airis induced into the motor housing when the rotor is rotated, said intakeopenings being arranged so as to present at least one pair of generallydiametrically opposed intake openings relative to the rotational axis,said enclosure further including a plurality of spaced apart air intakeboxes, each of which is coupled to the motor housing in association witha respective one of said at least one pair of intake openings, each ofsaid boxes including at least one air inlet and defining at least onepassageway fluidly communicating the inlet and the respective one of theair intake openings, said motor housing presenting at least one airexhaust opening through which air induced into the motor housing isexhausted when the rotor is rotated, said exhaust opening being spacedfrom the rotational axis and at least a portion of the exhaust openingbeing offset from each of said at least one pair of intake openings by aninety degree radian relative to the rotational axis.
 21. The motor asclaimed in claim 20, said motor housing presenting an additional exhaustopening spaced from the first-mentioned exhaust opening, said additionaland first-mentioned exhaust openings being generally diametricallyopposed relative to the rotational axis so that at least a portion ofthe additional exhaust opening is offset from each of said at least onepair of intake openings by a ninety degree radian relative to therotational axis.
 22. The motor as claimed in claim 20, said rotorpresenting a first end and a second end oppositely spaced along therotational axis from the first end, said intake openings beingpositioned adjacent said first end, said exhaust opening beingpositioned between the first and second ends and spaced along therotational axis from the intake openings so that any plane thatintersects the exhaust opening and the rotational axis and that isorthogonal to the rotational axis does not also intersect either of saidat least one pair of intake openings.
 23. The motor as claimed in claim22, said plurality of intake openings presenting an additional pair ofgenerally diametrically opposed intake openings relative to therotational axis, said additional pair of intake openings beingpositioned adjacent said second end of said rotor.
 24. The motor asclaimed in claim 23, said exhaust opening being spaced along therotational axis from the additional pair of intake openings so that anyplane that intersects the exhaust opening and the rotational axis andthat is orthogonal to the rotational axis does not also intersect eitherof the additional pair of intake openings.
 25. An air-cooledweather-protected upright motor comprising: a stator; a rotor rotatablerelative to the stator about an upright rotational axis; and a ventedprotective motor enclosure protectively enclosing the stator and rotorwhile permitting airflow thereto, said enclosure including a primarymotor housing in which the stator and rotor are at least substantiallyhoused, said motor housing including a generally upright external wallextending at least in part along the rotational axis, said motor housingpresenting in the external wall along the rotational axis a plurality ofspaced apart air intake openings through which ambient air is inducedinto the motor housing when the rotor is rotated, said intake openingsbeing arranged so as to present at least one pair of generallydiametrically opposed intake openings relative to the rotational axis,said enclosure further including a plurality of spaced apart air intakeboxes, each of which is coupled to the motor housing in association witha respective one of said at least one pair of intake openings, each ofsaid boxes including at least one air inlet and defining at least onepassageway fluidly communicating the inlet and the respective one of theair intake openings.
 26. The motor as claimed in claim 25, said primarymotor housing being generally cylindrically shaped and presenting alongitudinal center axis, said center axis being generally coextensivewith said rotational axis.
 27. The motor as claimed in claim 26, saidplurality of intake boxes including a first intake box and a secondintake box spaced from the first intake box so that the primary motorhousing is at least partially received between the first and secondboxes.
 28. The motor as claimed in claim 27, said first and secondintake boxes being diametrically opposed relative to said center axis.29. The motor as claimed in claim 28, said first intake box presenting apair of first sidewalls spaced on either side of the first intake boxpassageway, said first sidewalls extending in generally parallel planesspaced on either side of the center axis, said second intake boxpresenting a pair of second sidewalls spaced on either side of thesecond intake box passageway, said second sidewalls extending ingenerally parallel planes spaced on either side of the center axis. 30.The motor as claimed in claim 29, said primary motor housing presentinga cross sectional diameter dimension, said first and second sidewallsextending in the same parallel planes so that each of said first andsecond intake boxes presents generally the same width dimension measuredbetween the planes, said diameter dimension being greater than saidwidth dimension.
 31. The motor as claimed in claim 30, said first andsecond intake boxes being positioned along the primary motor housing sothat the center axis is generally equal distance from each box and thecenter axis is generally equal distance from each of said same parallelplanes.
 32. The motor as claimed in claim 31, said first intake boxincluding a first back wall spaced from the primary motor housing andextending between the first sidewalls, said second intake box includinga second back wall spaced from the primary motor housing and extendingbetween the second sidewalls, said first and second back walls beinggenerally equal distance from the center axis.
 33. The motor as claimedin claim 32, said primary motor housing presenting eight generally equalsides so as to define an octagonal cross sectional shape.
 34. The motoras claimed in claim 25, each of said passageways being deviated so as togenerally filter ambient air drawn through the passageways.
 35. Themotor as claimed in claim 34, said passageway and said intake openingassociated with each of the intake boxes cooperating to define at leastthree bends of at least ninety degrees between the respective inlets andthe rotor.
 36. The motor as claimed in claim 35, each of said inletsbeing sufficiently spaced from the rotor so that ambient air inducedthrough the inlets does not exceed six-hundred feet per minute prior toreaching the first of said at least three bends.
 37. The motor asclaimed in claim 35, said rotor presenting a first end and an oppositelyspaced second end, said at least one pair of intake openings beingpositioned adjacent said first end.
 38. The motor as claimed in claim37, said plurality of intake openings presenting an additional pair ofgenerally diametrically opposed intake openings relative to therotational axis, said additional pair of intake openings each being influid communication with a different one of the intake boxes, saidadditional pair of intake openings being positioned adjacent the secondend of the rotor.
 39. The motor as claimed in claim 38, each of saidboxes including an additional air inlet and defining an additionaldeviated passageway fluidly communicating the additional inlet and therespective one of the additional pair of intake openings.
 40. The motoras claimed in claim 39, said additional passageway and said additionalintake opening associated with each of the intake boxes cooperating todefine at least three bends of at least ninety degrees between therespective additional inlets and the rotor.
 41. The motor as claimed inclaim 35, each of said intake boxes including a pair of spaced apartchannels operable to removably receive a filter in the respectivepassageway.
 42. The motor as claimed in claim 35, said intake boxesbeing removably coupled to the primary motor housing.
 43. The motor asclaimed in claim 35, said motor housing presenting at least one airexhaust opening through which air induced into the motor housing isexhausted when the rotor is rotated.
 44. The motor as claimed in claim43, said exhaust opening being spaced from the rotational axis and atleast a portion of the exhaust opening being offset from each of said atleast one pair of intake openings by a ninety degree radian relative tothe rotational axis.
 45. The motor as claimed in claim 44, said motorhousing presenting an additional exhaust opening spaced from thefirst-mentioned exhaust opening, said additional and first-mentionedexhaust openings being generally diametrically opposed relative to therotational axis so that at least a portion of the additional exhaustopening is offset from each of said at least one pair of intake openingsby a ninety degree radian relative to the rotational axis.
 46. The motoras claimed in claim 44, said rotor presenting a first end and a secondend oppositely spaced along the rotational axis from the first end, saidintake openings being positioned adjacent said first end, said exhaustopening being positioned between the first and second ends and spacedalong the rotational axis from the intake openings so that any planethat intersects the exhaust opening and the rotational axis and that isorthogonal to the rotational axis does not also intersect either of saidat least one pair of intake openings.
 47. The motor as claimed in claim46, said plurality of intake openings presenting an additional pair ofgenerally diametrically opposed intake openings relative to therotational axis, said additional pair of intake openings beingpositioned adjacent said second end of said rotor.
 48. The motor asclaimed in claim 47, said exhaust opening being spaced along therotational axis from the additional pair of intake openings so that anyplane that intersects the exhaust opening and the rotational axis andthat is orthogonal to the rotational axis does not also intersect eitherof the additional pair of intake openings.
 49. The motor as claimed inclaim 25, each of said intake boxes projecting laterally outward fromthe respective one of the intake openings.